1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of posture chairs. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of therapeutic seat designs and constructions for improving the posture of an individual by more efficiently supporting the weight of the individual who sits on the seat to accommodate movement of the individual in the seat.
The present invention also generally relates to the fields of any type of seating which includes seating for automobiles, motorcycles and recreational seating. In addition, the present invention can be used therapeutically to improve the posture of an individual, both passively and effectively.
One must be aware that a person when they sit are dead weight. There is no way of bringing circulation to the pelvic area of the tuberosities, a necessary requirement so that one can sit for longer periods of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, posture chairs and various seat configurations used as an integral part of the posture chair are well known in the art. One of the inventors of the present invention is Joseph A. Berg and is a pioneer in having developed and patented several seating arrangements which have helped to provide greater comfort to individuals as they sit on a seat. The following patents have been issued to either inventor Joseph A. Berg individually or to co-inventors Joseph A. Berg and Loren W. Eames or Joseph A. Berg and Thomas E. Violand, Jr.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,799,323 issued Joseph A. Berg on Jul. 16, 1957 for "Self-Aligning Seat Construction" (hereafter the "'323 Patent"); PA1 2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,195 issued Joseph A. Berg on Mar. 5, 1963 for "Self-Aligning Seat Construction" (hereafter the "'195 Patent"); PA1 3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,442 issued Joseph A. Berg and Loren W. Eames on Jul. 31, 1973 for "Seat Having Relatively Adjustable Sections" (hereafter the "'442 Patent"); PA1 4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,757 issued Joseph A. Berg and Loren W. Eames on Sep. 13, 1977 for "Seating Structures With Flexible Backs" (hereafter "the '757 Patent"); PA1 5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,485 issued Joseph A. Berg and Loren W. Eames on Jun. 18, 1991 for "Front And Back Adjustable Rocking Seat Support Arrangement For Seat Having Relatively Adjustable Sections" (hereafter the "'485 Patent"); and PA1 6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,127 issued Joseph A. Berg and Thomas E. Violand, Jr. on Feb. 22, 1994 for "Rocking Seat" (hereafter the "'127 Patent"). PA1 1. U.S. Pat. No. 199,535 issued to Granger on Jan. 22, 1878 for "Sewing Machine Chairs" (hereafter the "Granger Patent"); PA1 2. U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,028 issued to Mensendicck et al. on Dec. 6, 1938 for "Seat" (hereafter the "Mensendicck Patent"); PA1 3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,801 issued to Glockl on Nov. 26, 1996 for "Active Dynamic Seat" (hereafter the "Glockl Patent"); and PA1 4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,203 issued to Hubbard on Jan. 28, 1997 for "Seat With Biomechanical Articulation" (hereafter the "Hubbard Patent").
In each of these patents, the object was to provide a seat construction which readily responded to or accommodated itself to the position of the body of the person occupying it. The object was to provide a seat which was self-aligning and which was so constructed that it allowed each side of the body of the occupant of the seat to move normally and independently of the other without restraint.
The '323 Patent discloses a seat having two separate halves. Each half is supported independently by coil spring members mounted between the seat half and the base plate.
The '195 Patent discloses an improvement over the '323 Patent. The seat disclosed in the '195 Patent also includes two separate independent halves. Each half is supported by a resilient cushioning pad placed underneath the seat half.
The '757 Patent discloses a seat unit having a flexible seat back. The seat back is separated into two halves to support a user's back at opposite sides of the user's spine.
The '422 Patent discloses an improvement over the '323 Patent and the '195 Patent. Each seat half of the '422 Patent is supported by a universal joint support which allows the seat half to be rocked. Each seat half further comprises a localized recess offset rearwardly from the universal joint for receiving the ischial tuberosity bones of the user of the seat.
The '485 Patent discloses an improvement over the '442 Patent. The improvement of the '485 Patent comprises a seat rocking means such as a cylindrical rod affixed to the lower portion of each seat half and a pair of spaced apart resilient receiving means for each seat half to movably and rotatably support a seat half on the base of the seat. The improvement restricts the movement of each separate seat section to move only back and forth in a longitudinal rocking motion as compared to the universal movement of the '442 Patent.
The '127 Patent discloses a rocking seat. It includes a pair of seat halves, wherein each seat half has a seat rocking member such as an arch shaped suspension affixed to the lower portion of each seat half and affixed at only one side to the upper surface of a base. The resilience of the arch shape suspensions permits and limits the seat to move downwardly and slide backwardly, when a force such as the weight of a person pushes downwardly on the seat. The resilience of the arch shape suspensions further permits and limits the seat to rock back and forth to thereby enable the user to independently rock back and forth in a front to back rocking motion on each seat half.
The seat having adjustable sections as disclosed and claimed in the '485 Patent had many beneficial effects. However, one disadvantage of the '485 Patent is that it has too many mechanical moving components and it is therefore too expensive to manufacture. Another disadvantage of the '485 Patent is that an adjustable device has to be used to limit the amount of front rocking motion. The adjustable device was created for that purpose only and it adds additional mechanical requirements. Therefore, to correct this problem with the seating arrangement disclosed in the '485 Patent, it is necessary to eliminate the adjustable device and also to reduce the mechanical components on the seating arrangement. Another purpose is to reduce the cost in manufacturing the seating arrangement for the consumer sector.
Various other posture seating and seat arrangements are known in the art and the following patents are representative of such arrangements:
The Granger Patent discloses a sewing machine chair. It comprises three parallel support plates wherein each support plate is supported by three springs.
The Mensendicck Patent discloses a seat.
The Glockl Patent discloses an active dynamic seat. It comprises a base, an intermediate piece linked to the base and a seating part linked to the intermediate piece. The seating part is two parallel support plates which can independently tilt backwards and forwards.
The Hubbard Patent discloses a seat with a biomechanical articulation. It comprises three separate support areas including a pair of thigh supports and a rear seat member. The thigh supports are pivotally attached to the seat member to provide individual movement when the person's legs are in positions such as while operating a machine that requires different movements of the person's legs.
It is desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a seat construction for improving the posture of an individual by more efficiently supporting the weight of the individual who sits on the seat construction to accommodate movement of the individual in the seat.